The average lifetime cost of care after a diagnosis of dementia in the US is about $322,000, and families pay about 70 percent of that, according to research. The research team estimates that the cost would be $185,000 less for people without dementia. “It’s important to note that all of this doesn’t begin to touch the indirect costs for families, such as missed work and missed school, or the inability to take that promotion or job in another city,” said Amy Kelley, MD, associate professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Kelley was not involved in this study, but she researches dementia health care costs. “It’s striking to see the challenge that families are up against.”